Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to surgical laser systems and methods of controlling such systems.
Surgical laser systems have been used in various practice areas, such as, for example, urology, neurology, otorhinolaryngology, general anesthetic ophthalmology, dentistry, gastroenterology, cardiology, gynecology, and thoracic and orthopedic procedures. Generally, these procedures require precisely controlled delivery of laser energy as part of the treatment protocol to cut, vaporize or ablating targeted tissue, such as cancerous cells and prostate tissue, for example. Healthy tissue may be inadvertently exposed to the laser energy if the laser energy is directed to the wrong location, or if the laser energy passes through the tissue or object targeted for treatment, for example. This may damage the healthy tissue.
Improvements to such surgical laser treatments are desired, such as safety improvements that assist in reducing the exposure of healthy or non-targeted tissue to laser energy during a laser treatment.